The Savvy Five: Summer Essentials

Summer’s definitely here and to maximize your relaxation (that’s ‘max your relax’), you’ll need a stash—a little bit of everything for all the occasions summer brings. So this month’s SavvyFive is all about our favourite summer essentials.
Grub Scouts Sprinkler by Melissa & Doug
Good for: Hot, lazy days (and summer birthday gifts)
Why It Made the List: When you attach this adorable and durable sprinkler to your garden hose, an entire troop of Grub Scouts pops up to help with the fun. Part of the Sunny Patch collection (which also includes bug catchers, kid-sized gardening tools, sand toys and more), the sprinkler is also available in a flower motif. You can use it for regular watering, too—it’s great for doing small patches—but kids will love running back and forth, trying to avoid the countless sprays. ($24.95, available at applausekids.com)

Quash Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer
Good for: Cleaning grubby hands when soap and water is not an option
Why It Made the List: You’ll be at the beach, the zoo, the airport and more this summer, and little (and big hands) can’t always get washed as often as we would like. Quash is chemical and alcohol-free, made from 100% natural ingredients (such as white willow bark extract, manuka honey and aloe vera) and kills 99.9% of germs. We like those numbers, especially since 80% of the germs that cause illness are spread via hands. The 250 ml bottle is easy to carry everywhere we go and lasts for 250 ‘washes’. And since it also moisturizes hands, it offers the ultimate in multi-tasking. ($7.47, available at well.ca)